9/30/10

i don't know what it is about hugh grant that makes him such a likeable guy. though this movie isn't his best work, i think it's the english accent that give him the upper hand. one flick that i seem to catch myself watching is notting hill. but really, the only thing that i can truly remember him is for this mug shot while getting caught with this beauty. how could do this to HER, hugh?!! you had it made...

anyways, it's now been two weeks since the arrival of little calvin. i must say that the past fortnight has felt months have past. so much high and low emotions have come and gone in such a short time, it's crazy to explain...but i'll try.

first topic: the birth. i initially thought i would be sickened by the sight of a bloody/slimy baby coming out of my wife. and even though the whole "pushing" process took 45 minutes, everything went by so fast. i didn't even have enough time to be grossed out, let alone think about anything else other than labor coaching HM. by the time calvin arrived - he was wiped down, i yelled out "it's a boy!", i cut the cord, and within seconds he was laying on HM's chest. we looked at each other, then at our creation. i know there were 7 other people talking in the delivery room, but at that moment, we heard and saw nothing but calvin.

second topic: the first night. our excitement turned into frustration within the next 12-16 hrs as calvin made sure that we would get as little sleep as possible within 48 hrs. HM was suprisingly able to get up and walk around already (trooper!), so i'm lucky she was able to assist with his fussiness. i could not help but feel horrible for any single mother that had to endure what we had gone through without someone else.

third topic: ICU visit. after we were discharged two days after delivery, we were so happy to bring calvin home. we had everything as planned. the house was cleaned, the dog was at the kennel, and his crib sheets were crease-free awaiting his arrival. unfortunately, his homecoming was cut short to one night as we had to check him into TCH's ICU unit for high biliruben. the experience was haunting, even for someone like me who is fairly comfortable with hospital terminology and procedure. we had to option to go home (since we live so close), but i told HM i couldn't stand the thought of leaving him overnight. we were prepped to sleep bedside...in very uncomfortable conditions, i should add. fortunately, the nursing staff was able to get us on the list at the ronald mcdonald house at TCH. we spent a very long two days and nights at the hospital waiting for everything to level out. it was great communication time b/w HM and i. if anything, it helped HM and i grow stronger together as a couple and family. as new parents, we couldn't ask for anything more.

fourth topic: finally home. as i mentioned before, the past 14 days have felt like an eternity. when you look at things in perspective, the time is nothing. we know that we're not one of the 'lucky' couples whose baby likes to sleep through the night. in fact, calvin is the opposite. after 10pm, he's a night owl....just like his dad. HM warned me that he would kick in the womb before bedtime.

one of our worries was how our dog would react to the baby. we read horror stories of family pets not getting along with newborns. we were lucky that peanut greated cal with a questionable sniff, but had a happy wagging tail. the late night crying during diaper changes gets him a little spooked at times.

fifth topic: some things i've learned so far...

- though it's been told to me many times before.... NO ONE really teaches you how to be a parent. you just do it. there are books, the internet, friends and family.... but when your baby is wailing at 330am and you don't know why.... you basically try and learn anything and everything you can quiet him (except shaking of course!).

- you learn how to operate with one arm. toting around an infant while doing laundry, brushing your teeth, or typing this blog all becomes second nature.

- you find that late night television and DVR are your best friends.

- calvin likes to poop AFTER you change them.

- pediatricians HAVE to be positive. having to deal with sleep-deprived parents and crying children all day takes a special skill.

- i knew life was going to change.... but u never think about the MINOR things. example - you can't shower or use the restroom without making sure the baby is asleep or someone is watching him.

- patience. its what's for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

....sorry, got to cut this short - little cal finally fell asleep. and any parent knows: YOU SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS.

9/19/10

4 days PB (post birth).sorry for the lack of updates...obviously there is a lot of stuff going on.

in the last few days, i went from being a happy husband who got little sleep to a proud papa who gets no sleep. i had already been up for 18 hrs before calvin was born and have since averaged less than 3 hrs of intermittent shuteye per night. this was too be expected right?

to be fair and honest, we're still at the hospital. only this time it is not where calvin was delivered, but rather at texas childrens. little cal was admitted less than 24 hrs after he came home due to appearing jaundice and having higher than normal bilirubin. this is fairly common in infants...especially ones with asian heritage.

needless to say, with having to stay at the hospital and going with HM to feed/visit calvin while in his incubator, there seems to be very little time to do much else.... let alone sleep. rather than to go into detail, i'll put it into another picture story (since everyone just wants to see pictures anyway). here is what i call "a series of firsts...." for baby calvin:

first moment outside the womb: after visiting mom's chest briefly, you can see he really wanted to stretch out! weighing in at 6 lbs, 9 oz, HM and i were pleasantly surprised that we produced a good sized kid!

first trip: by wheelchair, then elevator - from delivery room to hospital bedroom. there's no place he's rather be than right next to momma. he and i share the same feeling.

first visitor: NT came bearing gifts for baby c less about 6 hrs post birth. being the suave guy that he is, calvin decided to use the 'play it cool' approach. result: she wouldn't let him go. you go, boy!

first visit from grandparents: the M's keep marching! my parents seemed excited to know the bloodlines and family name would continue (though they never really said it). i guess it's pride more than anything. for me, i was just glad to finally meet the little booger.

first kiss goodnight from dad: this was the only time i made close contact with him in the first day because of............my slight lingering cough. this is the first time calvin slept in my arms. HM snatched this pic of me before she had to feed him in the middle of the night. he was irritated by laying in the crib, so i took the opportunity to get some father/son bonding time. don't clown the mask... it has been used at much needed times in the past.

first gangsta pose: during feeding, baby cal was messing with his head gear. the result is what you see below. he managed to pull down his cap, then fall asleep within a minute. i guess he knew it would provide two useful outcomes: covering his eyes from light...and one darn cute looking picture.

first time home and in his crib: if we are comparing the ratio of his size to the mattress, the kid has one super sized king bed! lucky guy.... i still have to share a full with HM!

first time to pediatrician (the next morning): losing weight as expected for newborns, baby c weighed in a little over 5 lbs. he was starting to lose hydration...

first time being pricked for blood: this was one of many times his blood was drawn. i felt so bad for him when he screamed in pain, though i thought his feet were too cute to pass up on a picture.

first time admitted to the ER: the following image appears scarier than it really is - this is the incubator that little calvin has to stay in (and where he currently is as i type). i'll write a separate blog about the journey we've taken as he received treament here. i know it looks really bad, but i assure you it's not a harsh therapy.

see what i mean? it's almost like he's sunbathing under UV light (which, in truth, he actually is doing). he came prepared and brought his beach sandals and shades!

4:16 am - it looks like baby c/z has plans. after an anticipated delivery date this past sunday, HM and i are now at the hospital. i'm sitting next to her as she squeezes my hand every 4 minutes when the contractions hit. i've never witnessed her in so much physical pain. it is hard for me to watch.

when we watched wall e last night, HM mentioned she started to have weird feelings. at 1130pm, we decided to get ready for bed and a 1/2 hour later she was writhing in pain. she suggested we get ready for bed so we can get some rest. after midnight, she was having contractions close to 10 minutes apart....a surprise to us since she hasn't had any yet.

our scheduled induction tomorrow has now changed into a highly probable labor and delivery today. she is now hooked up with some pain meds and 4cm's dilated. the oncall physician has been notified and now we're waiting. poor HM is tired and sleepy. our little buddy wants out.

time is passing fast, but i'm also holding HM's hand when she calls me over .... more to come soon.

end post.

5:55 am - i'm in the waiting room now as HM receives her epidural. the IV meds that she took made her even more sleepy but at least reduced some of the pain. she still can squeeze the heck out of my hand though!

an english family is in the room with me...husband just walks in to his parents and in laws -- "pretty good sized baby. born at 5:17am. 18 inches, 6 lbs 7 oz.". these people are quite big and tall. maybe his wife is tiny. if my baby comes out bigger than theirs, then maybe there is hope of a future basketball star in the family, eh? oh who am i kidding...

the doctors don't allow family in the room during the epidural process...not sure why. maybe it's cuz crazy husbands would cause trouble. i hope HM is doing ok. only a few more minutes till i can go see her....

end post.

7:43am - back in the room w/HM. epidural is set and the waiting game has begun. we've tried to take a nap for the last hour or so, but both of us are secretly sitting awake in silence. though our minds and and bodies are exhausted, our hearts are pounding with anticipation. who can sleep now?

Dr. D just came in suggested she 'manually breaks the water' to speed up the process. HM agreed to do so and 3 mins later, Dr. D is out the door to handle a c-section. it appears she has 4 of her own patients who checked in last night. HM always told me that the life of an OB-GYN is not one that she could handle. the hours alone are so demanding and the malpractice insurance can be as much as a BMW 7 series.

we had planned to have a relaxing day handling some errands, but i think we are in for a better treat. i could be a dad by my next update!

end post.

9:08am - time to eat.

i've always wondered why the texas medical center (TMC) hospitals have mcdonalds as their main restaurant of choice. sure, it's fast food and easy, but doesn't it somewhat contradict what hospitals are here for -- to prolong life? the obvious choice would be subway. i mean..look at jared fogle for goodness sakes! to be fair, there are other cafe's/restaurants and even some other nice choices for quick eats. but you have to give props to the golden arches for sapping up all the prime retail space. kinda reminds me of the humans in wall e.

speaking of eating, i don't believe i ever mentioned the goal i set for myself at the beginning of this journey. my goal was to be exactly the same weight i was the day we confirmed that HM was pregnant. initial weight: 151lbs. today's weight: 152.5.

i know it doesn't sound like much, but in my eyes i technically still failed. i didn't want to be part of the 'sympathy weight/pains/gains' conversation. oh well, as long as my belly is healthy, right? oops.

......progress has slowed down a bit. i know it's past 9am and we've been here since 230, but it just doesn't seem like it. i will admit, that there is a lot more waiting around than i expected. i know people told me before, but you don't really realize it until it happens in your shoes. when someone says, "man, we were waiting at the hospital for a whole day." -- it doesn't effect me much. i've been here for 7 hrs and i'm restless, cranky, and still avoiding to use the hospital restroom. i'm a little edgy about stuff like that.

still waiting for you baby calvin or zoey.....

end post.10:20am - HM is around 9cm's dilated. Dr. D is in her 2nd c section for the morning. it looks like we're gonna start pushing this baby out...literally. the nurse informed us that everything is going well. baby's heartrate is good, head down, and it might even be an easier-than-anticipated delivery.

9/13/10

kevin costner's 1997 film was a disaster to his career. after big roles in the untouchables, bull durham, and field of dreams, he was building a resume of a superstar. then came films like waterworld, postman, and 3000 miles to graceland (nice chops there buddy!). there have been a few movies that were supposed to be 'late comebacks' to resurrect his career, but in my opinion....the guy is pretty much done. that's too bad...cuz i really liked him as frank farmer in the bodyguard.

we met with Dr. D today and she gave us options on what we want to do. HM's situation is favorable to where we have a choice to wait or induce. the benefit to waiting is having the baby naturally and lower c-section percetages. the detriment would be risk of infection which could lead to stillbirth which increases progressively post 41 weeks. given that there really isn't any growth benefit in the womb for the baby now, we opted to wait a few days and plan induce later this week. baby c/z could make an appearance at anytime b/w now and then, but HM doesn't feel like much has changed, so we're not holding our breath.

being the trooper that she is, HM is still going to work a little bit and take a day off later so we can run a few errands to prepare. i guess another benefit to inducing is knowing when we're going to be at the hospital. i secretly wanted the whole 'rush experience' we see in movies, but i also don't want to miss the actual birth. given the choice, i think we're taking the safer bet.

we're going to try to get some good sleep since induction could be as early as 5:30am, but who can sleep during a time like this? i'm already a late sleeper, but now knowing that my child is coming is only going to make my nights much more restless. fortunately, i can't say the same for my lovely wife...

this is a bigger, brighter, and better picture than from a few nights ago... sweet dreams babe!

a few months ago, i asked HM about why it's said that pregnancy takes '9 months', but the due date is set at 40 weeks (which would be around 10 months)? this is something i know that i would have never asked unless having go through this experience. anyways - according to the 'pregnancy pinwheel' - which i like to call it - the starting date is considered as the 'first day of a woman's last period'. ok folks, start your thinking hats.... now (see pic below).

sooooo, while conception typically happens around the 2nd - 3rd week, and full term is considered to be at 37 weeks.... it averages around the 36 week/9 month mark? this is the only reasoning i could come up with. oi... this would be so much easier to figure out with one night stands, right?

and so it's been a week since my countdown to due date started and nothing eventful has happened the last 7 days. HM and i have had some quality time together (which i've thoroughly enjoyed), but now we're getting a little restless. to put it simple - WE WANT THE BABY OUT! we have an early appt with Dr. D tomorrow and probably have discussions about inducing. not the ideal, but most likely safer. the good thing about going this route is that we DO know a general time to expect labor/delivery. i'm getting even more antsy as i type. i'm thinking of doing a live blog update while waiting around in the hospital. HM thought it was a neat idea for the 5 of you that are reading. we'll see how it goes.

on a side note, i'm back to training for the houston half marathon in january. i decided that training for a full marathon while having my first newborn probably wasn't going to work out. i also don't know if HM would be working and i'm aiming for her to be there when i cross the finish line if i ever complete the full 26.2 miles. last year when i signed up for the full, plans didn't work out so well and i settled for my 3rd half marathon. and though it was my fastest time yet, i still don't plan on drinking and sleeping late the night before as 'preparation'!!

9/11/10

i don't really remember much about this movie other than the fact that jennifer aniston was a main character. i'm using it just for the title again...

i would like to dedicate this post to my lovely wife and soon to be new mother, HM. first off, i want to wish her a happy bday. 9 yrs ago tonight, we sat in a restaurant eating a quiet dinner after a very tragic morning. our relationship was still in its infant stages as we were entering young adulthood. both of us in college, HM was just starting her journey to becoming a physician..... a path set from high school that will carry until next summer. i, on the other hand, was a nomad searching for my own way amongst a sea of students. from pre-pharmacy to physical therapist to almost not getting into business school (but i did!) - it took me 5 1/2 yrs to obtain the college degree that i promised my parents i would complete.

the story of HM begins from no better place than houston, texas. born and raised in the space city by her mother and grandmother, she didn't exactly live in the nicest part of town. some would have considered her pauper, but she would never admit it was THAT bad. she attended a magnet high school which basically was the spark that brought her to where she is now. she has always excelled as a student and i don't doubt that she will become a great doctor. i'm proud of her in so many ways that i can't even explain the feeling. HM is THE 'american dream'.... a hard working, dedicated, and motivated person that strives to better their future given the hand that she was dealt with. not only has she succeeded in doing so already, but she also chose a career that assists in helping others to get better as well. how many of us can really say that? me purchasing corporate insurance for an energy company has its perks (free coffee!), but "saving 15% on car insurance by switching to geico" doesn't compare to prolonging someone's life.

i don't have repeat the story of us, but i do want to say that there is absolutely nothing that i adore more than make her happy. tomorrow will mark the 40th week that she's carried our child in utero. she changed to a healthier diet and sleep schedule to accommodate the baby, but she never held back on anything else. she remained committed to providing the best care to her patients. she made time to keep in touch with friends -- something i think we all can lose sight on when were focused on other things. she held up on her deal to be my loving wife and listened to my boring business insurance stories. she pretended to be interested about my fantasy football draft. best of all, she didn't did argue with me over bed space nor hog the blankets. i gots me a winner folks!

i've overheard people tell HM that she's lucky that she's had a fairly 'easy' pregnancy. in reality, i'm the one who is blessed. she never unleashed the 'wrath' that other husbands apparently get from pregnant wives who are emotional. she only once had a late night craving for food...which was easily satisfied by a quick trip to mickey D's for a $1 sundae. i squashed all other cravings by keeping ice cream readily stocked in the freezer.

as for the baby.... unless something happens tomorrow, we are slated to see the doctor on monday morning. at that time, we'll be given our options for induction, etc. even though we'd prefer for things to come naturally, HM and i can finally have peace of mind knowing that the pregnancy journey will end and the parenting phase will begin. it's been a great experience..... i can't thank HM enough for it. she's going to be an awesome mom.

- EZE

some quick picture updates for preparation:

our storage is quite filled. over 25 boxes of stuff that we probably won't ever need again, but we're not good at giving stuff up! gotta make space for the baby, right?!

our refinished bathroom courtesy of New Generation Refinishing. i would post some before pictures, but they are a little scary. having to caulk and recaulk because of recurring mold SUCKS. this was not really in our initial prep planning, but we couldn't be happier with the outcome.

inexpensive stroller to hold us over until we get one of these bad boys. i hope the baby likes being outdoors!

the baby seat is installed and good to go. it's not leather, baby c/z will still be riding in nice comfort and support. thanks PP/NP for the gift!

and finally - the crib in our bedroom. this took 3 hrs to build due to the 90+ nuts/bolts/dowels that came in the box (along with the sliding drawer that finishing up in the picture). in the end, we're quite happy with the outcome. individually, the pieces weren't much to look at, but together they transformed into a sturdy and good looking product. thanks to YH/SD and to the trans (all three of them!).

39 weeks, 5 days. this is going to be a short post because my eyes are literally falling as i type.

we are now 2 days until due and HM is showing no indications of an upcoming labor. i guess this is good news for today since i wanted to avoid having an unknown on-call doc deliver our child.

HM and i were watching a movie earlier (do not see valentine's day.... it's really, really bad.) - and afterward we discussed how time has furiously passed by the last nine months. we knew this would happen once we got to this point. just like we'll be saying the same thing when our child is a yr older. and probably the same thing 10, 20, 30 yrs from now. where has the time gone?!

i do have to say that for me, the past week or so has truly been a blur. work doesn't even seem like work anymore. i get emails, phone calls and i answer them, but at the end of the day, i can't remember what exactly i did. anything and everything has been about the baby. and as most people will agree that it should be this way, i know that reality is that life will move forward and i'll still have to count beans just like anybody else. HM seems to be able to separate and concentrate easily. i guess that is something that a doc is trained to do. i'm not that talented.

for now, we sit and wait. well...tomorrow we will shop, eat and wait. since it's HM's bday, we'll hit up some stores for some last minute baby items. HM has not been comfortable buying things for herself since she can't even try stuff on at this point. i'm sure rapid use of our credit card will come soon after baby c/z arrives. we just have to sit and wait.

as for me...tonight will be one of the few nights i can catch up on sleep from this week. more of the same tomorrow.... i'm out.

it may sound funny, but reality is setting in that we are going to be parents within the next week or so. people have been asking for awhile now...'are you ready?' truthfully, there really isn't a right answer. i'm starting to see that everything up this point is part of the whole experience. sure, we are likely to go through this again with future children, but the first time is typically the most memorable.

the most common advice that i've been getting is to get my sleep now while i still can. and so i sit and write this as 1230am passes. i can't seem to get to bed at a decent hour, especially in the last week or so. meanwhile, HM has no problems sleeping at all. i guess that's a good thing since there are so many scary stories of women who can't get comfortable during their whole 3rd trimester. i'm lucky that i still even have my own bedspace on our full sized mattress. it's funny how we used to have nightly territorial battles before pregnancy, but it seems that HM has been happy with not moving at all. she doesn't even hog the blanket anymore!

with tomorrow being friday and the doc out of town, i'm hoping for a relaxing day for the both of us. why do i have a funny feeling that it won't be?! *crosses fingers*

9/8/10

apparently i've been off on my calculations this whole time. our dr. appts have typically been on mondays which threw me off completely since our due date is on a sunday. i've been undercounting one day! so here goes my correction:

39 weeks, 3 days. four days until due.

HM and i saw the movie four christmases a few months ago by redbox rental. the plot consists of a couple who are happy being unmarried and they visit their families for christmas. each has divorced parents....thus, four separate place to visit. after a whole day of turmoil, they realize that they ARE indeed made for marriage! and that, folks, is how hollywood makes money.

it's no secret that i'm a fan of large families. if it were up to me, i'd have a baseball team of kids. of course that would require a lot of assistance, patience and $$$. my dad is 2nd out of 5 siblings. i've got plenty of cousins that i really don't know about since they are all in the philippines. HM has a few distant cousins, but no one truly close.

HM asked me today if i ever believed in santa claus when i was younger. i told her that my parents had squashed that notion early in my childhood. there were no 'gifts from santa' or cookies and milk left out on the table for the big guy to eat. she agreed her youth was similar. i don't know what would be worse for me - being 'that parent' who never gives his kid a gift from santa or actually being the one to tell them that they don't exist. maybe i'll get lucky and they'll research it on their own with the internet by that time. :)

BUT, for some reason, my parents did let me believe in the tooth fairy. it's amazing that molars and incisors can net profitability by sleeping on top of them. i was extremely happy when i had all of my wisdom teeth taken out...when i was 17.

that was a joke people!

sorry to cut this short, but in order to preserve my sanity, i need to get some shuteye. i leave you with a christmas memory that always brings out a smile to my face:

notice the concentration in his eyes while HM just lets him embarrass himself.

BABY UPDATE: HM and i had an appt today with the ob/gyn and she is now 2cm's dilated and 80% effaced - yeah, i had to look it up too. we had the option to induce tonight, but decided not to since everything was normal otherwise. we would rather let things take it's course than risk a higher chance of a C section. if baby c/z doesn't come tomorrow, i'm aiming for sometime early next week.... after the doc gets back from out of town and after the first weekend of nfl football. i'm SO sentimental, eh?

9/7/10

i never saw an episode of party of five, but i know it spawned the careers of many hollywood stars like jennifer love hewitt, neve campbell, and matthew fox. coincidentally, i just looked up that the show debuted was on september 12, 1994. weird, eh?

HM and i have spoken extensively about what we picture our future to look like. we've agreed the ideal would be 2 boys, 1 girl... calvin, connor, and zoey. i sometimes mention that i don't like the idea of 3 kids because of the whole 'middle child' syndrome, but trying to imagine a houseful of 4 rugrats can cause migranes. i know it sounds greedy planning that far ahead, especially when we haven't even had child #1 yet, but i guess it's always good to dream and mentally prepare, right?

HM had a dream the other night that we had twins. i think it would be awesome, but she disagrees. her argument is that twins would be way too much responsibility at once. i refute that everyone loves twins and they are always popular! again - ridiculous images of what could be.

now that we are 5 days from delivery, it's basically just a waiting game. i think our dog is also wondering what's going on. his comfort areas have made way to cribs, playpens, and more space for the baby. we let him sniff everything we bring home and we plan to do the same with baby c/z. hopefully all goes well.

tomorrow is a big day for us. it is our final dr appt before due date and we should find out if induction will be necessary. i secretly hope that she will tell us that we should look forward to delivering within the next day or so. i'm not a big fan of 'choosing' an inducing date when i believe the baby should arrive when it's ready. but in the end, the health of both HM and the baby are paramount.

sooooooo..... 5 more days of anticipation of our first child. 5 more days until we start our family. calvin or zoey is the first step toward our 'planned' three children. the first step in the right direction. the first step toward our own party of five.

9/6/10

my dad is a huge tom clancy fan. his books are mainly about military science or espionage. more of his known work include: the hunt for red october, patriot games, and clear and present danger....all of which are great movies. rainbox six apparently is in the works, but up in the air.

i'm planning on doing a blog countdown until the 12th and didn't really decide that until late last night. we are now 6 days until due date and for some reason the number 6 jumped out at me. i picked out a picture to post and found some weird commonalities. keep in mind -- i DID NOT find these out until AFTER i chose the picture!

i have been meaning to post an ultrasound picture for some time now. if you look closely, there are a few things that kinda weirded me out:

1. today is 9/6.

2. we are 6 days from due.

3. the image was taken on 6/1/2010

4. the time on the image is 9:26:36

5. HM was basically entering her 6 month of pregnancy (in the photo)

6. ...there are 6 items on this list..... eerie.

actually, that last was just there to trick u, but i'm still a little baffled myself.

so anyway - this picture holds a little special place in our minds. it was the first time we could actually see an 'image' of a head and body of the baby. HM immediately said it looks like a boy due it's 'large forehead head and big belly' -- something she characterizes along with me. she's such a comedian. with those features, i told her that she should hope that it's a boy because our poor little girl wouldn't appreciate looking so much like her daddy!

even though HM is on her feet all day walking, she still doesn't appear to be progressing closer to going into labor soon. no 'typical' signs of belly dropping or contractions....at least none that she's noticed. our appt this week should let us know if inducing will be in order, but i hope that won't have to happen.

though our anticipation runs high to hurry and meet our little one, part of me is happy that it's taking this long. HM and i have been enjoying great company together lately and once the baby comes, everyone tells me that those specials times are going to be limited. for almost 2 1/2 yrs of marriage, we've been 'alone' and able to do what we basically please....even with the circumstances of revolving around HM finishing up school. i can't even say that i've completely detached from my own parents since i still bother them for a home cooked meal every now and then. i hope 30 yrs from now, baby c/z will be close enough to treat us the same way.

- EZE

ps - we rented the movie "kick ass" this evening. wow. i thought the 'rated R' rating was a mistake. even though i read that it was surprisingly for adults in a few articles, i didn't realize that they would allow such young children use an obscene amount of profanity and be exposed to so much violence. damn...i am getting old.

9/5/10

this is a short update that had to be done today since the movie title is so fitting. the movie itself has no relation to our upcoming delivery other than we are now 7 days away from due date!

seven days. HM and i were reminiscing about how naive we were about anything 'baby' just a few months ago. people have told me that kids are 'game changers' and given the preparation we've done, i certainly believe it. i know as first time parents we'll never be fully 'ready'.... but gosh darn it, i'm going to try.

in my own personal preparation, i took time today to ready myself physically for baby c/z. today was GROOMING day. three separate events have to happen to complete this task:

- cleanly shave facial hair with razor (none of that electric crap).

- neatly trim both finger and toe nails.

- get a haircut.

it doesn't sound like much, but how often do ALL three things happen within an 18 hr period? it's a rarity i tell you. the day before my sophomore year in high school i had a grooming day and MR looked at me like i was a dog. not even my wedding day was special enough. the haircut throws everything off. i only get it cut on the weekends, and how often do guys shave then? ANYWAYS.... too much detail for you folks, but even HM isn't aware of my special day. :)

everyone should know that i now FEEL ready for the baby to arrive. the house is clean, the cribs are assembled, the car seat installed. my 3 month list is checked off (except for getting a car alarm for the accord...but that's not baby related). HM wants the baby out now! not so much of the discomfort of being pregnant, but rather just welcoming our little one to the world. also...she wants to know the sex of the baby so she can finish decorating the room at my parents house!

speaking of parents, i snagged my old baby album from my mom. i was born at 6.8 lbs and had very slanted eyes. my sister appeared to have adored me. my mom had a lot of black hair, and my dad wore turtlenecks, big belt buckles and bell bottom skinny jeans. ugh. it's amazing how times have changed.

then i also saw my sisters album. she had pictures of herself in a crib, infant swinging chairs, and all kinds of goodies. her first bday was a massive gathering of my parent's friends and coworkers. she had tons of gifts and everyone seemed to be thrilled. i thought of how much my parents prepped for her arrival and i think almost everyone goes gaga over their first born. it's amazing how things stay the same.

even though the labor day holiday is tomorrow, i still have this itchy feeling that everything will go down either this wednesday or thursday. maybe it's just wishful thinking cuz i don't want HM to deliver while our ob/gyn is out of town on fri/sat. we've waited too long for things not to go according to MY plan!

i originally started blogging about training for my first marathon. one year later, it's all about becoming a first time parent!
and as a lover of movies and pop culture, i try to incorporate my life into my title posts...